The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the art of metal joining and, more particularly, to a metal chemistry for joining components.
High strength and oxidation resistant alloys such as nickel-based super alloys are widely used in the construction of turbomachines. Super alloys possess strength, weight, durability, and temperature properties desirable for use in many turbomachine components. However, in general, super alloys have poor fusion weldability due to a tendency for liquation cracking and strain age cracking (SAC). SAC is closely related to gamma prime volume fraction, which is a function of Aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) content. An increase in the gamma prime fraction and, in particular Al content, increases the tendency for SAC. SAC generally occurs in a weld metal adjacent to a fusion boundary (WMATFB) region and/or propagates into a heat-affected zone (HAZ) of a base metal. Material in the WMATFB region includes base metal resulting from dilution and filler metal added during welding. As such, the WMATFB region should include a chemistry that falls within a weldable material region to avoid, or at least lower, a tendency towards SAC.
If the WMATFB region chemistry falls within the weldable material region, cracking tendency is low. In a tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding process for example, a typical dilution ratio is about 30:70 which means 30% of the WMATFB region includes base metal and 70% of the WMATFB region includes filler metal. Accordingly, filler metal for welding a particular alloy should possess certain chemical composition and mechanical properties at elevated temperatures.